At The Intersection of Gauche and Obtuse
by Sushi4Brains
Summary: At the intersection of gauche and obtuse . . . that's where he first met him. The boundaries of appropriateness, a foreign concept to this one; tact - a mortal enemy. Like a bloodhound catching a new scent, he pursued his quarry, Kakashi and Yamato, and backed them into a corner, until his curiosity was sated. Whoever said teaching was an easy job, obviously never met Sai.
1. Chapter 1

At the intersection of gauche and obtuse . . . that's where he first met him, in a place where the bounds of acceptability were a foreign concept and tact was a mortal enemy.

Exacting and deadly yet dull as dishwater . . . that's what he was; like a bulldog he'd sunk his teeth into this new concept and refused to let go – like a bloodhound catching a new scent, he relentlessly pursued his quarry until his curiosity was sated. Working his way up the chain of command, he sought out a man more socially maladroit than himself that he might comprehend the power and necessity of establishing and building bonds.

For Kakashi, Yamato and Sai, this would be a teamwork exercise like none other – but that's the way things shook out here at the intersection of gauche and obtuse.

A/N: Story follows canon rather closely for a while and then you'll need a high powered telescope to see any semblance of canon after that. Sorry that's how my brain works. For the purposes of this story, Naruto and Sakura are eighteen years of age and Sai is nineteen.

* * *

Kakashi swore he could still hear that half canteen of lukewarm water and a portion of a stale, hardtack ration bar sloshing around in his stomach each time the overenthusiastic man beneath him bucked like a bronco. Later . . . much later, he'd get around to apologizing for leaving numerous crescent shaped indentations strewn about the man's chest and abdomen – Gai of course would dismiss any and all of his fumbling apologies with a cheerful smile and a lecture about how friends did this sort of thing to ease the tension after dangerous and stressful mission.

For the moment however, remaining attached to the heavily panting man under him required every whit of his concentration.

With each downward stroke, Gai's powerful legs knocked Kakashi's knees together, forcing him to wrap his thighs tighter around Gai's waist just to keep his balance. It was times like these that Kakashi cursed his photographic recall for he knew neither his memory nor Gai's loud mouth would ever allow him to forget or live down this once in a lifetime wild ride.

Judging from the way they were both panting, Kakashi knew it wouldn't be long now.

With his chest glued to Gai's sweaty back, and his hips aching for having been wrapped so tightly around Gai's midsection for so long, Kakashi's head was swimming and his vision became blurrier by the second as the finish line for both of them drew closer.

Yet even in his sorry physical state, it was hard to miss those massive wooden gates in the distance as they soared through Konoha's lush green forests and tromped down the winding dirt roads which led to the village's main entrance.

Soon, Kakashi and the six valiant souls he was accountable for would stagger through those gates . . . banged up a bit, exhausted and hungry, yet due to the things they'd experienced, each of them was a little wiser and stronger.

**SKY SKY SKY  
**

These past few months, the amount of missions pouring into the village had placed an excessive strain on the Hidden Leaf's manpower – that's how he ended up in this predicament in the first place. Assisting an allied nation in the recovery their abducted leader was ANBU's bailiwick, especially since the Akatsuki were rumored to be involved, yet the mission was reclassified as a 'B' rank and pawned off on a three man cell . . . Kakashi's team.

_Humpf_, he hazily thought as Gai shifted his weight, _the odds of drawing a simple 'B' ranked assignment these days were on par with capturing a miniature two headed unicorn; a myth . . . a fantasy, a collective brain fart of those who rated a mission's level of difficulty._

No sooner had they set foot on the dunes of Sunagakure, the mission began to twist and crumble to bits faster than a rusty corkscrew boring through balsa wood. That sort of thing was old hat for a veteran like him; however, it did give him another chance to witness the growth and resilience of his team under less than favorable conditions.

From the inhospitable environs of Suna, through the mountainous regions and fertile plains of the Land of Rivers, Naruto and Sakura's performances both surprised and delighted him. A bitter soupcon of nostalgia and dare he think it . . . pride swelled in his chest when he saw how far they'd come as shinobi and ambassadors of the Leaf.

His entrance into Konoha proper this time was more comical than triumphant, if the quizzical stares of bug eyed civilians as they passed them and the friendly, knee-slapping ripostes of fellow shinobi departing for missions was anything to go by. Awkwardly slung over his 'Eternal Rival's' back and defenseless as a newborn puppy, he would have laughed at himself had it not been for the fact that every fiber of his being was screaming in agony. Still, Kakashi took it all in stride.

They were home at last.

The old Squad Seven, minus one was now Team Kakashi and his erstwhile _students_ had grown into his _comrades_ in the truest sense of the word.

Hard to believe almost three years had passed since Naruto and Sakura were removed from his oversight and placed under the tutelage of two the Legendary Sannin. Then again, attrition was a fact of shinobi life; team members came and went like the changing of the seasons. Over the years, Kakashi led countless teams on countless missions, always endeavoring to establish cursory working relationships with the ever changing faces and abilities that his squad might efficiently accomplish their task while minimizing the loss of life. His involvement with those squad members was always the same; superficial, amiable… fleeting. Having invested so much of himself into the only genin squad he'd ever supervised, the lack of attachment with other teams always left him with an indescribable void. That void didn't prevent him from performing his duties, but it was a pain in the ass to come to grips with the emptiness he always felt at mission's end.

_This was the Sandaime's fault,_ he muttered to himself, for he'd seen fit to hold him responsible for a trio of neophytes, fresh out of the Academy; their heads filled with book learning and foolish notions of how they would turn the ninja world on its ear. Mere children who would look to him to educate them on the grittier, practical side of ninja life, the boring, low ranked missions, the endless days of finding lost pets and weeding overgrown garden. These youngsters, still wet behind the ears, would grow to depend on him for protection, for guidance as he trained and equipped them for the rigors of shinobi life.

He used to think taking on a genin team was a step backward; how wrong he was.

A wistful smile darted across chapped lips as he recalled those days gone by - the Third Hokage refusing to let him wriggle out of his assignment as a jounin-sensei, even though he'd summarily failed two other genin teams – with cause, of course. Instead, the Sandaime gambled on Kakashi's sentiments, going so far as to drag him along to meet Sakura's parents for tea and sweets and then to pay a visit to the lonely abodes of Naruto and Sasuke.

After that, there was no way his conscience or that teensy soft spot in his heart would allow him to turn his back on those three. How could he?

The progeny of his late sensei, the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre and a scrawny, insecure little girl from a civilian family became 'his' team and in due course, each of those little buggers wormed their way into his heart, expanding it and making it malleable.

As he'd feared,_ in them_, he saw glimmers of the old Team Minato, his first permanent assignment with shinobi closer to his age, yet leagues behind him in skill and experience. Uchiha Obito, the loud, blunderbuss with big dreams, was a dark haired version of Uzamaki Naruto; Nohara Rin, team medic and peacekeeper, was a softer spoken, less violent duplicate of Haruno Sakura. And then there was Sasuke, a young man traumatized by great loss so early in life, a prodigy with natural talent and a bad attitude – he was a shadowy reflection of Kakashi.

_Through them_, he learned how quickly it was for hearts and minds to intertwine and how easily it was for a heart like his to shatter into a million tiny pieces.

True, he'd overlooked Naruto and Sakura's delitescent skills back then, not purposefully of course, for it was much easier for Kakashi to identify with their glum, sarcastic team mate. Even if he'd paid more attention to the other two, Kakashi was convinced he lacked the means to draw out their talents or the motivation required to nurture them.

In hindsight, a change of teachers was the best thing for them and for him as well.

Solo ANBU missions or those where he was in charge of teams of experienced chunnin or jounin suited him better. Missions that kept him far from home for months on end or days spent in training until exhaustion overtook him - these helped him maintain the façade of productivity . . . of usefulness. But when missions became scarce and hours of solo training yielded no measurable results, _knowing_ what was best for the young ninja he'd failed was no match for the twinges of guilt and jealousy that relentlessly plagued him.

He was relieved to see that Sakura and Naruto hadn't forsaken his foundational teachings about the necessity of teamwork, yet figuring out how to forge new relationships with them as his 'peers' still confounded him. It didn't make things easier that they staunchly refused to call him by his given name, for he'd always 'Kakashi-sensei' to them, but they were still too young to be inducted into his small circle of close friends, too immature to handle glimpses inside his dark past and far too inexperienced to act as advisors or counselors for him. They'd reached that awkward stage in their development as ninja where they were shrewd enough not to be shocked by the depths evil men would plumb to achieve status or power, yet still naive enough to believe there was redemption or genuine salvation for the truly black hearted.

And yes, there were times during this last mission when anguish pierced through their tender hearts, leaving scars only time could heal; watching them process the pain, a crushing sense of helplessness settled in his chest. He could only stand by - a spectator, fearful that his words of wisdom would fall on ears that refused to receive them – that his insights, wry and astute, would be brushed aside dare he extend them.

Like them, Kakashi understood what it was like to shoulder the burden of tragedy, both personal and professional at an age when one lacks life experience to bear up under the strain.

Over time, he'd developed numerous ways to deal with, to tamp down the misery. Crawling inside a sake flask until the voices in his head were silenced only went so far and it certainly wasn't a coping mechanism he'd recommend. When the heartbreak became greater than his ability to hold it back, he'd learned to let it all spill out like a drink offering seasoned with hot, salty tears as he stood like a statue before the Memorial Stone.

Again, not a coping mechanism he'd endorse.

Grief, disappointment, abject failure . . . these things were part of shinobi life – these were the adversaries he could not shield them from or defend them against.

And so he watched and waited . . . hoping they would not repeat the same mistakes he'd made.

This last mission however, challenged their beliefs, shook their foundations and rearranged the truths they knew of themselves and their character.

For Naruto; it was deeply personal.

Members of the Akatsuki staged a daring raid on the Hidden Sand village to flush out the jinchuriki host of the One-Tailed Shukaku; Gaara, the Kazekage. Naruto and Gaara had long ago forged a bond of friendship and trust, each understanding the isolation and hatred the other felt because of the monsters sealed inside them and now . . . Gaara had been defeated, his ultimate defense breached . . . his body spirited away. The sorrow that clouded Naruto's bright blue eyes when confronted with the remains of his friend – that moment in time when the fragility of one's mortality draped itself over the boy like a shroud was heartbreaking to witness.

Then there came the spark of fear . . . the very real fear that he, Naruto and his village, Konoha, might become the next targets of the Akatsuki.

Then came the rage; feral and justified.

For Sakura; this was the ultimate test of her skills both as a medic and a shinobi.

With Gaara's elder brother hours from death and Suna's medical corps, seconds away from giving up on him . . . Sakura boldly stepped forward. The facilities and equipment she was forced to utilize were primitive and the tension inside the operating room as she worked to save Kankuro's life was palpable even to those waiting outside in the hallway. Drawing on the teachings of the most renowned medic in the Five Nations and trusting in her own abilities, he watched Sakura spit in the in the maniacally twisted face of death.

When cornered by a ruthless foe, Sasori of the Red Sand . . . a master puppeteer and long range fighter who favored the use of poison in his attacks, Sakura's strategic and tactical skills came to the forefront. Combining her speed, agility and monster strength with Lady Chiyo, another highly skilled puppet master, Sakura's victory was definitive, yet bittersweet. For Lady Chiyo, the one who doted on Sasori, who raised him after his parent's deaths and taught him puppet master jutsus, it was a devastating loss. For Sasori, her only grandchild lay dead as a direct result of her handiwork.

Even now as he watched her smiling and chatting with Naruto, Kakashi couldn't help wondering what sort of impact this experience would have on her psyche years down the road. Medics, like Sakura who were trained to _save_ lives, those were the ones who always had a harder time dealing with the regret, the self-reproach and the nightmares that boomeranged against them when they were forced to actively _take_ a life.

As for him, this mission was an opportunity to settle an old score with none other than Uchiha Itachi. Itachi was another young ninja Kakashi invested time in to train, a young man he thought he knew well. This same young man would go on to slaughter his entire family, turn his back on the Leaf village and join forces with an organization bent on destroying Konoha.

When Itachi returned to the Leaf Village, it was as an entrenched member of the Akatsuki, one determined to capture the Nine Tailed Fox spirit within Naruto. Kakashi had no other choice but to step in to circumvent Itachi's intentions, standing toe to toe and Sharingan to Sharingan against him. Unfortunately, as one born of the Uchiha bloodline, it was child's play for Itachi to capture him in a high level genjutsu, imprisoning him inside a world of intense physical and mental torture. An extremely unpleasant and valuable lesson was learned about the Sharingan's true power that day.

Needless to say, their battle was spectacularly short-lived and Kakashi was handily defeated. Had it not been for Gai's timely arrival, Kakashi believed he would have either gone insane or died right then and there. Never in his life had he been happier to see the grinning face of Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast, though he was prepared to deny saying or thinking such a thing if questioned.

In the intervening years, Kakashi trained tirelessly and when he encountered Itachi this time around, it was with greater control over his implanted Sharingan; much stronger physically and mentally, the victory he achieved was hollow, for the man he'd fearlessly fought against turned out to be a reanimated corpse masquerading as Uchiha Itachi.

As they drew closer to the Hokage tower, Kakashi was thankful for two things more - Lady Tsunade and her gut instincts. Had she not dispatched Team Gai to back them up, he was sure this would have been an entirely different type of homecoming.

And now, safe within the confines of the village, Kakashi offered up a whispered word of thanks to Bishamonten. His battered body would recover and his bruised ego would survive this latest indignity courtesy of the loudly rejoicing Maito Gai . . . eventually.

The last thing Kakashi remembered was regretting his ability to move away when the back of Gai's head jerked toward his face.

And then . . . everything went black.

NOTES:

Bishamonten or Tamonten: the god of fortunate warriors and guards, as well as the punisher of criminals.

Delitescent: concealed, hidden or latent.


	2. Intersection

Intersection: (mathematical) - the set of elements that two or more sets have in common.

There are times when having a photographic memory and an active imagination truly comes in handy—take now for example; after such dispiriting mission, what a treat it was to relax and luxuriate in the simple comforts of home. Showered and shaved, Kakashi stretched out in his in his full sized bed ready to shuffle off to the land of slumber while the words and imagery of Icha Icha Tactics came to life on the big screen of his mind.

Ah yes, here in privacy of his home, he was at liberty to . . . 'handle' whatever might 'come up' as a result of recounting his favorite passages of the book.

_Life was good_.

_This time I'm gonna pace myself_, he resolved, as page thirty seven, paragraph six began unfolding. The last installment of the series ended with the brooding, chivalrous soldier left for dead in the forest until a kindly old hunter happened upon him, and brought him to the small village hospital. The hero, now in the care of the small village's hospital was unconscious and resting peacefully, surrounded by four nubile nurses debating amongst themselves as to whose turn it was to give him a hot, soapy sponge bath.

Page 38: their debate turns into hair pulling uniform ripping scuffle over whose turn it is to give hero hot soapy sponge bath. _Check._

Page 39: the scantily clad nurses lined up at his bedside; shamefaced and blushing prettily; their delicate hands trying but failing to cover up the bounteous charms as they plead his forgiveness. _Check._

Page 40: after promising to do whatever the hero asks so that the hero wouldn't report them to the charge nurse, the curvaceous vixens who coincidentally are bisexual nymphomaniacs, begin tending to the wounds inflicted - gently rubbing and kissing the scrapes and scratches as the wide awake hero looks on. _Check and check._

Kakashi mentally rubs his hands together giddily as page 41 turns and the hot and bothered nymphets turn their attention to him.

Bless Jiraya's perverted little heart; the 'fun' part was just about to get underway.

Suddenly, not four but seven unique chakra signatures were pinging back against his.

_Don't seem to remember this part,_ he thought, _but what the hell!_ _ I'm sure Jiraya won't begrudge the addition of three more lovelies to make things more interesting. And depending on how well this pans out, I might suggest something like this to him next time we meet. . ._

When the strong aroma of antiseptic wafted around him, Kakashi congratulated himself for having such a vivid imagination – even though the smell added realism to the scene it was beginning to irritate his sensitive nose. Nonetheless, Kakashi was a sport about these things figuring he could overlook the irritation in favor of the buffet of sensual delights that would soon spread before him.

As the half-naked ladies moved closer to help remove his hospital gown, he could feel that familiar tingle as blood rose from his feet to settle in his loins. And while not opposed to exposing his own nakedness, Kakashi felt he owed it to his fantasy nursemaids to maintain a semblance of his own mystery. Just when he tried to lift his arm that he might ensure his mask was securely in place; his right arm was oddly unresponsive. As a matter of fact, all of his limbs were unusually uncooperative, as if someone had purposely tied -

_Oh, I get it,_ he smirked. _Bondage; kinky little minxes, aren't they?_

They'd trussed him up rather well . . . too well in fact. His bindings were so tight that every breath made his chest burn as if it were a quietly festering volcano and every beat of his heart made his head pound like a tightly stretched tympani.

_All right . . . not exactly the type of pain I was expecting, but I'm certain the rewards will outweigh the temporary discomfort._

When a soft, warm hand caressed and held him by the wrist, curiosity, the undoing of many a great ninja, got the better of him. His eyelid flickered open cautiously and the first thing he saw was the requisite, and otherwise unremarkable water stained, white tiled ceiling above him. Beneath him was a rock hard mattress overstretched by crisp, clean white sheets.

_Yep, this is definitely a hospital setting. So either my imagination's getting better or I actually am at the hospital. _

_Nah, Gai wouldn't do that to me._

Those chakra signatures, waxing and waning in friendly intent as they moved closer, seemed familiar too. Overhead lights, far brighter than those in his home, had him painfully squinting as he struggled to assign faces to the fuzzily wavering images hovering nearby.

Suddenly, a mountainous green blob blocked his view of the others.

_Oh dear god no - it couldn't possibly be -_

"Kakashi," the indistinguishable mass said breathlessly, "Kakashi, can you hear me?"

_Of course I can you imbecile. Damn it! Hearing would be the first faculty to work correctly . . . crap, now my vision is clearing up too!_

The white walled room he awoke to wasn't his as he'd thought. _Damn you Gai,_ he inwardly fumed. _You were supposed to take me to my apartment, not to the hospital you jackass!_

Looking around that big green splotch, the sextet of lovelies he'd seen so clearly minutes before, the ones waiting to fulfill his every desire, turned out to be members of Gai's team, Sakura and Naruto –each of them staring back at him with curious smiles. And if that weren't enough, the comely wench caressing his wrist sadly morphed into a stern faced, sweaty palmed, _male_ medic checking his pulse and recording his other vital signs.

He hoped to every god he could name that the stirring between his legs was due to a partially full bladder demanding relief and nothing more; having to hide a waking hard on would have been too embarrassing for him and the giggling Sakura or the wide-eyed Tenten.

This wouldn't be the first time Gai brought an Icha Icha interlude to a screeching halt and unless Kakashi went missing-nin in the next five minutes, it wouldn't be the last time either.

With no place to hide or otherwise escape, he found himself cursing that damned photographic memory of his, cursing Gai and his unfortunate sense of timing and ultimately . . . cursing Jiraya's writings, though he quickly recanted that last one.

"Kakashi . . . Kakashi, my friend," Gai bellowed, "You've awakened at last!"

_Yeah,_ Kakashi muttered under his breath, _whoop de freaking do!_

Churlishly glaring at the other man's broad back when Gai turned to his team, Kakashi heard him say, "Did I not promise that my Noble and Most Esteemed Rival would rouse himself at the sound of my voice?" He stood there with his fists on his hips, pushing back his flak vest and basking in their supposed adoration as if he'd just won a trophy.

"Please my youthful compatriots," he said, "do not gawk at my Eternal Rival, for though his recuperative powers are no match for my own, he is still worthy of your admiration."

As Gai blathered on, Tenten threw a frantic glance toward him and mouthed:

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei . . . you know what he's like."

Meanwhile, Neji was inching closer to the exit, while Rock Lee stood with his mouth and eyes wide open drinking in Gai's every word.

Swiveling about at last, Gai's meaty hands came to rest on the bed's foot board. "Be of good cheer my Rival" he said, "for I Konoha's Green Beast of Prey shall remain by your side, night and day, encouraging you back to health with my patented 'Spirit of Youth' no jutsu.'"

Kakashi could feel the bile rising in his throat as his stomach promptly flipped over . . . twice.

"Ah I see," Gai continued, "you cannot hide that fire burning in your eye Kakashi and you cannot mask your concern from me. Do not despair, old friend, for I promise that our days of hot blooded competitions are far from over."

Rolling his eyes at such a pronouncement of steadfast and unwanted companionship would have required finer motor skills than Kakashi had access to, instead from his throat, dry and scratchy, there issued forth a gravelly grunt which succinctly communicated his thoughts; the addition of a one fingered hand gesture should probably helped get his point across as well. But all his effort was for naught.

Having ignored Kakashi's peevish mannerisms, Gai stood with a renewed twinkle in his eye, and a smile of victory on his lips. From his posture, Kakashi could tell Gai was preparing to produce a tidal wave of good intentions and an even longer, more flowery speech.

_I am so screwed_, Kakashi thought.

Three minutes into Gai's discourse about being a genius of hard work, the door to the room opened with a bang and Lady Tsunade breezed into the room, followed by a nervous looking Shizune. Disregarding all others, Tsunade shook her finger at him as she approached the bed, scolding him for what she considered another act of 'supreme recklessness.'

"Honestly Kakashi," she fussed. "What were you thinking?"

His intention to sit up was flatly denied by the contrary whims of his body. "Well ma'am," he huffed, "you see . . . I was -"

"Yeah, yeah," she said leaning down to pull the covers up to his neck, "protecting your comrades, I heard all about it. You used that that new Mangekyo Sharingan one time too many and it weakened your chakra pathways." Standing beside him with the palm of her hand gently resting on his forehead, she said, "You damn near burned yourself out and you know what that means—a solid week of bed rest for you kiddo," she said, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger. "And don't waste your breath, there's no way I'm gonna release you on your own recognizance."

Taking note of his deepening scowl, she said, "Gai . . . thanks for bringing this knucklehead to the hospital instead of dropping him off at his apartment. But . . . don't even think about sneaking back in here to visit him until I give the order."

"Of course, Lady Tsunade," said the crestfallen Gai, "but your medics, skilled as they are, they do not know how to motivate my Rival so that he might spring from his bed of affliction to -"

"Somehow we'll manage Gai," she said. Leaning closer to Kakashi's ear she whispered, "You're welcome, brat," before turning to dismiss everyone.

_All in all,_ thought Kakashi as the door slid closed behind them, _this is a sentence I can live with. _A week of peace and quiet with nothing to do but sleep and eat ranked a close second to relaxing with one of Jiraya's books – all right, maybe a distant second.

And for the first time in years, Kakashi obeyed a direct order from the Hokage without contradiction or back sass, promptly settling into a deep, restorative sleep.

**SKY - SKY**

The first time Kakashi heard about 'this kid' from the Foundation he was still tethered to his hospital bed by an intravenous drip and juiced up on some pretty good painkillers. Aroused from another restful nap, he was taken aback momentarily to see two of the Sannin and an old acquaintance huddled together in hushed conversation.

_I'm sure Tsunade's here to check on me, _his sleep dulled mind registered_ and Jiraya probably stopped by to shoot the breeze or to bounce a few ideas for his next book off me. But I haven't seen Tenzou in years. What's he doing here?_

Jiraya quietly slipped away from the others and plopped himself down on the windowsill, folding his arms over his chest as he scanned the streets below.

_Hmm . . . an unusually somber Jiraya meant that something had gone horribly wrong or something strange was about to go down._

Standing on the other side of the room, far from Kakashi's bed Tenzou had one of those serene, wan smiles splattered across his lips which meant something was amiss with him too. Lady Tsunade was pacing about, chewing at her thumbnail and muttering to herself; she was pissed about something and that never was a good thing to wake up to.

"Lady Tsunade," he said warily, "is something wrong?"

She made another circuit around the room in an attempt to calm herself before answering. Through clenched teeth he heard her say, "Your team has a new mission Kakashi and . . . a new member."

_At least that explains why Tenzou's here._

Striding to the foot of his bed that he might see her better, Tsunade blew out an annoyed breath. "Look, you have to understand . . . Danzou's machinations and his influence on the Elders hogtied me into this one." Her cheeks flushed with anger and her eyes narrowed when she told him, "I had no other choice. This mission is urgent; we're low on manpower and short on time so one of Danzou's subordinates is going to be the fourth man on the team."

In a flash, she'd gone back to pacing again forcing Kakashi to follow the sound of her voice as strode the length and breadth of the tiny room.

"As a reward for defeating him, Sasori gave Sakura details of a planned meeting with one of his spies working for Orochimaru." Whirling about mid-step, she cast a furtive glance Jiraya's way and then to Tenzou. "Team Kakashi's new mission is to rendezvous with that spy, to capture him and bring him here for questioning."

At last, Jiraya chimed in. "When the Torture and Interrogation Unit gets finished with him and we can vet the information he's provided, it should give us time to shore up our defenses in case Orochimaru and his minions or the Akatsuki are planning an attack."

"And if we're lucky," Tsunade said, "Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts might be revealed as well."

Everyone in the room knew this 'rendezvous' might be a trap, though no one dared voice their thoughts.

Kakashi feared his team might not be ready to deal with the consequences of capture and torture if things went south and the potential loss of three more comrades was too disturbing to consider.

"According to my sources," Jiraya rasped, "the Akatsuki has embarked on an all-out jinchuriki hunt and if Orochimaru gets involved in the mix, only the gods know what might happen."

Turning away from the window he said, "Naruto, or should I say, the Nine Tailed Fox Spirit inside Naruto, is their target, though what the hell they plan on doing with it afterwards is a mystery." Standing to his feet, Jiraya stretched and said, "I'm sure you already know this Kakashi, but it was the Akatsuki who engineered that raid on the Hidden Sand village."

"Yeah, we found that out the hard way," Kakashi said, levering himself upright. "They were cunning and powerful . . . had to be in order to get around Gaara's ultimate defense, and that's why I'm concerned Lady Tsunade. Sending Naruto out in the open like . . . like bait -"

"I'm aware of that," she said, "but keeping him cooped up in the village would be just as dangerous. If Naruto were to hear of this mission from anyone but me . . . if he convinced himself there was a remote chance of bringing Sasuke back home, he'd go AWOL."

As she continued to walk about the room, she said more to herself than those gathered, "it's better if he goes out with a team . . . has someone to protect him."

Walking over to where Tenzou stood she told Kakashi, "Whether you agree with me or not, the team is set to deploy within the hour." With a hitch of her thumb and an incline of her head to the right she added, "Your former teammate whom I've codenamed, "Yamato," is gonna serve as interim team captain."

_Well, that's a relief,_ thought Kakashi. _But they're leaving in an hour? Damn_, _that's not enough time for me to brief him, to help him understand how best to utilize the personalities and skills of my - rather of the team's permanent members. _

With a smile and a curt bow, 'Yamato' said, "Working with any team you've trained will be a great honor Kakashi-senpai._" _

"And as soon as this mission's complete," Tsunade said, "this character, 'Sai' or whatever the hell his name is will return to Foundation's ranks – good riddance to bad rubbish I say."

"Yes," Kakashi started, "but Tenzou there's something I need to -"

"Sorry to interrupt Kakashi," Jiraya said directing his attention to the man standing apace from the bed, "but I have to apologize to you, Yamato. I never got around to teaching Naruto how to control Kyuubi on his own." Lifting the straps that bound the large scroll he always carried and easing it to the ground, he slowly began undoing the toggles of his outer garments. "Naruto, however, did teach me two very valuable lessons. First of all," he said untying the bindings of his undershirt, "Kyuubi's power usually protects and heals Naruto and yet, when the boy's emotions override his good sense, that same power engulfs him, leaving him significantly weakened because all that chakra does a great deal of damage to his body on a cellular level."

Ripping open his shirt to reveal a deeply scarred chest to his shocked audience, Jiraya went on to say, "These wounds were inflicted when four of the Fox Spirit's tails manifested."

His voice, stained with remorse, trembled slightly when he said, "I pushed him a bit harder than I should have to master the Rasengan." His huge hand glided up and dipped into one of the concave depressions in the center of his chest as he recalled the horrors of that day. "He was frustrated . . . he simply couldn't do it and as a result," he said, allowing his fingers to spread out over the welted flesh, "his emotions spun out of control. Right before my eyes, a bright red cloak of chakra covered his body and Naruto transformed into a miniature representation of the beast."

A sigh that carried the weight of the world, curled from his lips. "Despite my injuries, I managed to apply a seal to Naruto's forehead . . . that was the only thing that kept the Nine Tails from going on a full scale rampage."

As he went about covering himself he quietly said, "When everything settled down, Naruto had no memory of what was done while under Kyuubi's influence. Yamato, we're counting on you to help Naruto keep his emotions in check and the power of the beast at bay."

"I'll do my best sir," was the humble answer Yamato provided.

_So, that was the real reason they picked you_, Kakashi thought. _Someone who possessed the Sharingan and the bloodline that powered it could control the Nine Tails and make it do his bidding, but someone who possessed the bloodline ability of the First Hokage's Mokuton-no-jutsu, had the power to suppress the Nine Tail's chakra, to halt the transformation into the beast with a penchant for wide scale destruction._

As one of Orochimaru's most successful human experiments, Tenzou was the only person in the village who'd acquired a goodly portion of the First Hokage's DNA and as such, he was the only logical choice to stand in Kakashi's stead. Acting in concert with the crystal gem of the First Hokage's necklace that Naruto wore, Tenzou's abilities would be amplified enough to prevent a disaster.

In the meantime as Jiraya finished redressing and modestly pooh-poohing Tsunade's concerns over his injury, Kakashi turned his attention more fully to the man who would lead his team.

Tenzou or rather, 'Yamato' was an experienced jounin, a highly proficient ANBU operative, another one he'd personally trained and whose loyalty lay squarely with the Hokage. Sinking back into his pillows, he could rest easier knowing Tenzou would not let him or the village down.

Naruto and how well he would accept the addition of two new members to the team however were entirely different matters all together.

Like him, Naruto viewed the original Squad Seven as his 'family' and if this 'Sai' character was as brash and opinionated as Naruto was, then Tenzou was going to have one hell of a time.

_I imagine he'll adjust to Tenzou as captain in time, _he reasoned,_ but the idea that someone . . . anyone might be replacing Sasuke will be harder for him to deal with._

As the others hashed out the details of this new mission, Kakashi's thoughts drifted again, this time to the new kid, 'Sai' and he couldn't help feeling sad for him too.

He knew from experience what it was like, being thrown together with people who didn't want or need you as part of their universe. He understood the demands of having to proving one's worth and skills to those who didn't give a damn. But Sai was a trained and presumably, experienced ANBU operative - that meant he'd follow orders without hesitation or question; the bullheaded Naruto might benefit from his example. And as an ANBU, Sai wouldn't have a mote of remorse about killing an enemy in the most brutal manner possible - that would be a gruesome but necessary lesson for Sakura to learn as well.

But, because Sai was a product of the Foundation's dehumanizing training regimen, he also wouldn't hesitate to leave a comrade behind to die . . . especially if the overall success of a mission hung in the balance.

That wasn't a good thing either.

When Kakashi's eye settled on the smiling face of his kohai again, he felt doubly sorry for him. Tenzou didn't know these kids like he did; he couldn't possibly understand how deep their feelings of sodality were.

Trying to meld three strong willed ninja into an effective fighting force in short span of time would definitely test the resolve and patience of his former kohai.

NOTE:

Sodality: fellowship, comradeship.


	3. Intersection Part Two

Intersection (scientific): The point or set of points where one line, surface, or solid crosses another.

Four days after his team took off for the Tenchi Bridge, Kakashi hit a pothole on the road to recovery; more like a sinkhole to be precise –spiraling down into a drug fueled psychedelic haze, he drifted in and out of consciousness, unaware of who or where he was.

Twice daily, members of the happy peppy physical therapy unit would gather, swooping down on his body, massaging and manipulating his extremities like bread dough to stave off muscular atrophy and every six hours or so the nursing staff would flitter into the room, swapping out the massive plastic bags of fluid which kept him nourished, hydrated and in a twilight sleep.

After he'd come to himself, the nurses teased him about the humorous things he'd said and done while he was in that state over the course of nine days. He hadn't revealed any state secrets and most of the nursing staff seemed to think his come ons were . . . cute.

The gods be thanked, for that was the only reason he was able to break a dinner date with the same male medic who kept track of his vital signs.

And now the process of weaning him off the more potent drugs, under the strident supervision of the Hokage was about to begin; with one stroke of her ink brush, the order was given to step him down to a class of medications which would dull the pain and allow him more control over his limbs while regaining a modicum of independence.

But it came with a price.

"This new medication I'm starting you on is a potent chakra restorative," so said Tsunade as she dabbed a cold slimy paint mixture on one of his tenketsu points. "Unfortunately, it also has some very ugly and unpredictable side effects."

Kakashi rolled his eyes as her paint brush trailed along his back. "Story of my life, Lady Tsunade, I'm always your little guinea pig aren't I?"

"Quiet down brat, this isn't an experimental drug, and I know exactly what I'm doing," she huffed. "This medication tends to amplify negative aspects of one's personality . . . it's been shown to provoke dangerous mood swings, fits of irrational, uncontrollable rage and some outrageously weird hallucinations. I'll be damned if I let you tear up my hospital or injure my staff should the medication prompt you to run around the halls testing out your Raikiri."

"I would never-"

"I don't know what you might do and neither do you, so settle down," she told him. "You've made great strides in your recovery . . . holding down small meals of soft food for more than an hour at a time is a milestone, however, I'm not about to spring you on the general populace until I'm sure you're physically and mentally stable."

"My team," he snarled when she directed the beam of a penlight into his natural eye, "what of my team?"

"Haven't heard a word since they left," she said. "No news is good news, right?"

_No news is good news – what a crock of shit,_ he thought while he watched her perform the hand signs for a sealing jutsu.

_No news is good news_ \- that was the pabulum spoon fed to civilians by the authorities in order to calm their fears regarding loved ones off on missions.

For shinobi, no news about a team, especially one looking to capture a close associate of Orochimaru could only mean they hadn't recovered the bodies yet.

**SKY SKY SKY**

Hours of wakefulness, watching the sun march across the sky by day and the moon shimmy through the clouds by night, Kakashi found himself longing for the hours he'd lost, when his brain had nothing more to do than regulate the most rudimentary of his bodily functions – respiration, digestion . . . elimination.

Though he was grateful for the return of his mental acuity, he found himself growing sullen . . . antsy, and depressed as the days passed him by.

Pitched and tossed by these dark emotions, he embraced them, indulged their familiarity, and made a game of identifying the myriad of feelings surging through his mind. The most prominent emotion was anger over the limitations of his body that kept from him joining his team; tied for first place was frustration with Tsunade and the cronies who forced her to let his team walk into a trap on the off chance of gathering intelligence.

With a bit of acrimony, he had to acknowledge jealousy and resentment as the last two hangers on.

In his mind this private hospital suite was no different from being locked down in a dank, musty prison cell . . . sentenced to solitary confinement for a crime he hadn't committed. The Hokage, his warden, practically set him in stocks - the seal she'd put in place was meant to keep him from undoing her hard work to heal him. He understood that on some level though he despised feeling shackled and fettered by her good intentions.

As he paced barefoot across the cold, slick linoleum tiles in the room, he felt more like a caged wild animal on display in a zoo exhibit than a patient going through an extended phase of recovery.

Even with the limited access to his own chakra, he could sense the chakra of the ANBU standing watch outside his door, he could see the one perched on the ledge right outside his window and the two other ANBU patrolling the rooftops across the street from the hospital as he stalked about his room - all of them ready to spring into action, to pounce on him at a moment's notice, to shut down an escape attempt.

Though he understood all these things, it wasn't enough to stay the antipathy he felt toward his captors; a tiny part of him hoped that each time the door to his room slid open it would reveal the Hokage with his discharge papers in her hand and a smile on her lips.

But she would not return any time soon . . . 'her time and skills were required elsewhere,' the nurses bluntly told him as they rushed in and rushed out of the stuffy confines of the room.

**SKY SKY SKY**

Days later, with the medication finally clearing out of his system, the seal on his chakra loosened and the number of guards assigned to him reduced to two, his mind was firing on all cylinders; his strength was coming back in waves and his mood teetered on the brink of optimism.

He'd just crawled back into bed after an invigorating shower and curled up with Icha Icha Tactics when a hesitant knock at the door drew his eyes from the book. Seconds later, a familiar chakra signature flickered in greeting.

"Kakashi-senpai," he heard Tenzou call. "May I enter?"

"What the hell," he signed. "Come on in."

When the door slid closed behind him, Tenzou strode in taking up a respectful distance from his bed. He was breathing heavily and his cheeks were flushed as if he'd run a great distance; other than that, Tenzou looked none the worse for wear, which in itself was reassuring. Nevertheless, that pinched look on his kohai's face almost made Kakashi lay aside his book.

"Given the long face," Kakashi teased, "should I bother asking how the mission went?"

Tenzou rolled his eyes. "I have a very handsome, oval shaped face senpai, and the mission was aborted . . . a colossal clusterfuck is what it was . . . sir."

Having found his second wind, Tenzou stood at attention and rattled off his report in cool, clipped tone. According to him, the team had gotten off to a rocky start just as Kakashi expected, but Naruto wasn't the culprit this time. Apparently, the new kid's attempt to covertly test Naruto's fighting skills went over like a lead balloon.

_Yep, I kinda had a feeling those two would push him into the role of referee, _Kakashi thought with a chuckle, _but I didn't think it would happen so early in the mission._

"Sakura was the one who threw the first punch," Tenzou said. "And it was a doozy, I mean, BAM! She socked him right in the jaw and Sai went asshole over elbows across the road. We weren't even a half mile away from the village when that all went down."

"That's funny," Kakashi said. "I've never saw her flatten anybody aside from Naruto before. Wonder what brought that on?"

Shrugging his shoulders and looking somewhat embarrassed, he said, "I wasn't really paying attention, but Sakura told me Sai made a distasteful remark about Sasuke . . . said he'd called him a 'traitorous cockroach,' or something to that effect. Cripes," he said shaking his head sadly. "I tell you Kakashi-senpai; there were times when I just wanted to throw 'em all in a cage and let 'em beat the crap out of each other. I didn't do it of course," he laughed, "only because they needed to be in top physical and psychological condition for the mission."

Reaching up to scratch at his cheek, as he often did when embarrassed, he softly admitted, "I ended up taking them to a hot springs resort instead."

Behind the pages of his book Kakashi cracked a genuine smile. How many times had he been the buffer between the hot-tempered Naruto and the emotionally indifferent Sasuke? It didn't take him long to figure out Sakura could handle their minor squabbles with her fists, as Tenzou had allowed - he'd only step into their altercations if it looked like the two boys were about to kill each other.

"So," Kakashi said, "a hot springs huh? And how did that work out for you?"

With a hearty laugh, Tenzou diverted his eyes saying, "Heh, the only thing that changed was the size of my wallet. If only _someone _could've told about Naruto's appetite from the get go, I might have been able to come up with different and less expensive team building exercise."

"I always said the 'best lesson is a bought lesson,' Tenzou."

"Lesson learned; bought and paid for, that's for damn sure. You know something Kakashi, I honestly thought a different setting would give the team a chance to relax . . . get to know one another better. Apparently, that was my second mistake."

Frequent verbal sparring between the two young men was the least of the team's problems.

Tenzou's account of their confrontation with Sasori's spy, Yakushi Kabuto and Orochimaru on the Tenchi Bridge revealed how quickly Naruto's temper had placed them in a precarious situation.

"When Sasuke's name slid off the Snake's tongue," he said, "Naruto went 'chicken killer' cuckoo on me; I mean he completely lost control of himself. No sooner than the bright red cloak of the Nine Tails consumed his body, Naruto was liberated from reason, until nothing remained but ferocity."

Swallowing hard he paused to collect himself and gauge Kakashi's reaction. "In the commotion that followed after Naruto transformed and took off after Orochimaru, Sai abandoned me and Sakura to chase after the enemy on his own . . . at least . . . that's what it looked like he was doing," Yamato said quietly.

"Come now, Tenzou," Kakashi said turning another page. "As an ANBU, you know continued pursuit of the enemy is paramount to mission success."

"Sure, but I had my hands full - the team medic was knocked unconscious, the bridge was falling apart under my feet, and Naruto, who was . . . well, not quite himself, it was all I could do to keep Sakura from plunging into the river. In the end, I had to make a clone to keep track of those two knuckleheads while I got Sakura to safety."

A minor change in Yamato's breathing, the not too understated ripple in his chakra pattern and a negligible dip of his head, stilled Kakashi's finger at a familiar passage of text.

"Only a fourth of the beast's power manifested this time, but it was sufficient to defeat Orochimaru after a protracted battle."

"And Sai . . ." Kakashi asked, "did he eventually catch up with Orochimaru and Kabuto?"

Crossing his arms over his chest with his hands tucked under his armpits, Tenzou lowered his head. "He did . . . but it wasn't in the way or for the reasons I expected. My clone saw him kneel down at Orochimaru's feet and surrender a thick manila envelope to him – it was a gift from Danzou to curry his favor and guarantee his cooperation no doubt," he bitterly said. "Suddenly everything made sense . . . why the Foundation was so willing to release Sai . . . why Danzou pushed so hard for him to join the team. That shriveled up, hunch backed, ass munch . . . he was planning a double cross all along!"

Kakashi continued reading. "He's a crusty old bastard," he mumbled. "I never understood why the Sandaime didn't have him executed for treason; still don't understand why the Godaime puts up with his bullshit."

Tenzou gave forth a strained little laugh, "Never understood that one myself," he said. "Using Sai as a mediator of his treachery, Danzou intended to stay abreast of Orochimaru's schemes." Sucking at his teeth in disgust, he spat, "He was gonna portray himself as a willing co-conspirator in Konoha's eventual destruction; Sai would have completed that part of his mission too . . . if we'd given him the chance."

Kakashi nonchalantly turned another page in his book, all the while keeping a tight rein on his curiosity and chafing anger. He kinda wished he was still under the influence of that medication . . . at least that way he'd have an excuse for killing Danzou with his bare hands.

"Sai left with Kabuto and Orochimaru, and thanks to the tracking seeds I planted in his clothing, we were able to locate him inside the hideout. After we cornered him, Sai made no attempt to hide his mission's objective nor did he try to escape or attack us – he simply abandoned that aspect of the mission." Stepping closer to Kakashi's bedside he said, "The damage to village security has already been done; that packet of information Sai handed over contained profiles and photos of all our ANBU operatives assigned to the Hokage."

Kakashi grit his teeth. "How the hell did he get his hands on classified intelligence like that in the first place?"

"The answer to that is way above my pay grade . . . something for Ibiki and the Hokage to suss out. Anyway, I have to say Sai's actions at that time, didn't sit well with me either – he gave up far too easily."

"Hmm . . . that is odd, isn't it? We both know that in the Foundation, failure to carry out one's orders usually results in unspeakable torture . . . if you're lucky," Kakashi said. "Or, certain death if you aren't. Maybe Danzou had a larger goal in mind."

There was another long moment of uncomfortable silence and then a shuffling of his stance from one foot to another before Tenzou said, "After we were outside the camp, that's when we discovered Sai's secondary mission. I'm sorry Kakashi, but Sai's assignment was to . . . to assassinate Uchiha Sasuke."

Gripping his book with more force than he should have, Kakashi heatedly peered over the top of it and his lips pulled into a thin angry line. Sasuke . . .

"That part of Sai's mission was also a bust," Yamato said in a rush. "Turns out he couldn't bring himself to do that either."

A shaky exhalation disturbed the corner of the page Kakashi pretended to read as an image of a younger, glowering Sasuke spread itself before his eyes, mocking him. Blinking a few times to set things right, Kakashi blankly stared at the book in his hands.

_Why in the hell, _he wondered, _rather what the hell possessed Sai to abort that part of his mission too?_

Tenzou held up one finger, his palm stretched toward Kakashi, "Wait," he said grimly, "there's more." Shortly after Sai's confession, Kabuto showed up I guess seeing Sai in restraints led him to believe he was still on their side . . . that he might be willing to turn and fight against us, which by the way, I was fairly certain Sai would have done."

Kakashi was staring directly at him now, and Tenzou shivered at the killing intent radiating from the bed. "Sai did turn and he took Kabuto down . . . he didn't kill him either, just in case you were wondering." Sheepishly scratching at the nape of his neck, he mumbled, "I guess Naruto's words were more powerful against Sai than any jutsu I could've used."

Kakashi slumped against the headboard behind him thinking, _Naruto_. _He always had the ability to empathize with others, to challenge people's perceptions of him, and ultimately, of how they saw themselves. Obviously, an automaton like Sai wasn't immune to that part of Naruto's personality either. _

"Come to find out," Tenzou said, "Sai did what he did simply because he wanted to understand why Naruto was willing to risk his own life to rescue a friend." When his eyes met Kakashi's this time, he knew Kakashi's anger had cooled. He sighed and said, "Yeah, I thought it was a bunch of crap when I heard him say it too."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at that . . . but wisely said nothing. _Been around this guy too long, _he thought,_ he's starting to figure out how my mind works._

"Now, I'm not sure where or when this happened," Tenzou continued, "but it's my understanding that a conversation about 'bonds' with Naruto somehow flipped a switch in Sai's head. And get this Kakashi; Sai told us that he needed to see for himself if the bonds Naruto believed in were strong enough to stand against Sasuke's hatred for everything connected to his former life." Yamato linked his arms behind his back and with his eyes focused on the tiles beneath his feet, he said, "Sai . . . he's a strange one all right."

As Yamato droned on ad nauseum about Sai's curiosity marking a turning point in his relationship with his teammates and how he believed Sai's transformation was genuine. Kakashi tuned most of it out, waiting patiently to hear if there was more news of Sasuke.

"I restrained Kabuto and let my clone to guard him and the four of us went back inside the hideout, this time, searching for Sasuke. We split up to cover more ground . . . Sai was the one who found him and after the explosion-"

"Explosion? Tenzou, what the hell -"

"Let me finish," he said, waving off the other man's concern with his hand. "Sasuke broke free of the bindings Sai used to capture him, hence the explosion. Anyway, all of us were so physically drained after running through that labyrinth of a hideout. . . Naruto was in worse shape than the rest of us, but we took off running and by the time we came face to face with Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were too stunned to move or even think straight."

Icha Icha Tactics closed with finality and wound up in Kakashi's lap. "Sasuke . . . you saw him Tenzou?"

"Give it up Kakashi, there's an aura of pure evil surrounding that boy now and -"

"Naruto . . . was he able to . . . I mean, did he talk to Sasuke?"

"He did," was the unenthusiastic response that tumbled from his lips. "But it was a waste of his breath. Sasuke's heart is as black and hard as a lump of coal; his mind's consumed with exacting revenge on his brother, Itachi." Clenching his hands into fists, Kakashi heard him whisper, "I'm sorry sir . . . Sasuke's a lost cause."

Kakashi's eye drifted from the book in his lap, to the window beside his bed. His shoulders slumped as if the weight of the entire world had been heaved onto them. Grief . . . disappointment . . . loss, these were the adversaries he could not shield himself from nor protect his own heart against. _If the sentiments coming from the heart of a disillusioned Naruto couldn't change his mind,_ he thought _. . . nothing would. Damn it! And since Sai failed in his mission to kill him, one day it's gonna fall to me to bring about Sasuke's demise . . . I just know it. _

Under the cloth eye patch which covered Obito's gift, moisture dared accumulate.

Loudly clearing his throat, Yamato looked off into the distance as well and when he spoke this time, his voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry I have to tell you this Kakashi senpai, but without warning or any provocation, Sasuke swooped down, his sword drawn, ready to slice Naruto in half, which proves once and for all that Sasuke's left behind any feelings of friendship or comradery." Another deep breath followed and then he added, "I was somewhat incapacitated too," he admitted awkwardly, "Sai leapt to his feet . . . he was the one who deflected the blade aimed at Naruto's heart."

It hurt like a sonofabitch to realize how thoroughly he'd failed that boy and right then and there, Kakashi desperately wanted to puke. _What in god's name had Orochimaru done to Sasuke?_

"That really chapped his ass," Tenzou said. "Judging from that cold look in his eyes, Sasuke was ready to kill all of us, until the demonic duo of Orochimaru and Kabuto appeared and -"

"Foiled his plan . . . obviously," Kakashi interjected smarmily. _Sasuke was so far gone now, so bewitched by vengeance, that he could only be stopped by another demon more powerful than he. _

From ten paces away, he could feel the heat rising from Yamato's cheeks, reddened with outrage and embarrassment. Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the hurt and pain he'd inflicted shining like a klieg light in the other man's eyes. So stunned and embittered was he by this revelation that he lashed out at the messenger:

"Must have made you feel all warm and gooey inside," he snapped, "knowing Orochimaru still values you as a prize in his heart eh, Tenzou?"

As soon as those heated words jumped out of his mouth, Kakashi knew he'd crossed the line - but Tenzou always was an easy target, a willing receptacle in which to dump the whole of his anger and goddamn it, old habits die hard.

Yamato's chakra was churning and boiling and his body shook angrily when he spluttered, "Not hardly, and that's not funny Kakashi!"

He bowed his head and humbly turned to face his long suffering friend. "It pissed me off to hear you say out loud the very thing I've tried not to think about these past years." Much quieter now he grumbled, "I was being an ass . . . shouldn't have said . . . look Tenzou . . . I'm sorry I offended you."

Tenzou stood there for a beat owlishly blinking at the lowered head of the man in the bed.

After a few deep breaths to calm down he said, "No problem, Kakashi . . . you've always been an ass. "Be thankful I've learned how to forgive you for being an ass."

They shared an uneasy laugh, each of them hesitant to look the other squarely in the face.

"Before you so rudely interrupted me," he finally said, "I was trying to tell you 'why' Orochimaru put the kibosh on Sasuke. Can you believe that rat bastard wants us, the Leaf Village to whittle down the Akatsuki's ranks for his own sinister purposes; ain't that a kick in the head?"

"Not really, it makes sense," Kakashi said, reaching down to retrieve his book. "Megalomaniacs like that asshole are always looking for weak willed ass kissers like Danzou to manipulate, so that they might carry out his dirty work."

Tenzou let Kakashi stew in his own juices for a bit, knowing that behind that stone face, his captain still hadn't processed the profundity of these events completely. Kakashi was the type to chew on emotional matters for days on end, injecting logic into them until he could swallow the entire matter down.

Soon after Kakashi turned another page and his body relaxed, Tenzou said, "I've got some good news too. Since that encounter with Sasuke, Sai's started to think for himself, to make his own choices about what he will and won't do. And one thing he wants most desperately is to build bonds with Naruto and Sakura."

Rolling his eye, Kakashi blew out a deep sigh. "So, what you're telling me is that in spite of a rough beginning specifically, a traitor turned comrade, those three may have stumbled upon the essence of teamwork, is that right?"

"Well . . . yes and no, sir," he said, rubbing at his chin. "You see, Sai has no idea how to go about making friends; it's been uncomfortable to watch him interact with the team, but he's trying really hard. That kid's as blunt as a butter knife, with absolutely no filter in his brain to separate what's appropriate conversation from what isn't."

"The same could be said of Naruto . . . so?"

"Listen Kakashi, Sai takes things at face value, he can't read emotional subtext to save his life, hasn't learned how to lie about anything and he has no sense of humor whatsoever. Damn shame what the Foundation does to a person, but, he's sincere, so just be careful how you phrase things in casual conversation with him."

"So noted," said Kakashi, moistening his finger with his tongue to help turn a stubborn page. "Was there something else you wanted to tell me, Tenzou?"

"I'm Yamato now, remember?"

Kakashi absently nodded.

"Here's the deal; Sai's status has been changed from 'replacement' to permanent member of Team Kakashi . . . at his request."

"I figured as much . . ." Kakashi mumbled trying not to rip the uncooperative page from the book. "Bet Danzou blew a gasket when he found about that."

Yamato closed his eyes, smiling wistfully. "I sure hope so."


	4. Gauche Part One

Gauche: lacking social grace, sensitivity or astuteness; awkward, crude, tactless. In other words, allow me to formally introduce Sai.

"That's all for now," Tenzou said he prepared to take his leave. "Unless you have any other questions for me, guess I'll see you around Kakashi."

"Right . . . thanks for filling me in on everything, Tenz . . . Yamato. One question before you go," he said the second the other man's hand slipped into the the door's notch. "Mind telling me why you're trying so hard to sell me on this 'Sai' person?"

Standing with his back to Kakashi for a few tense seconds, he inwardly groused, _I should have known he wouldn't let me duck outta here that easy_.

"Well, if you must know-"

"Oh, I must . . . so make it good for me Tenzou."

Ignoring the sexual innuendo Kakashi intended to embarrass him with, Tenzou finally managed to say, "I feel sorry for him, all right?" His breath bounced off the door and against his face, when he told him, "I spent my formative years in the Foundation too and I would have turned out just like him . . . if it hadn't been for you."

"So what you're saying _Tenzou, _is that we should overlook Sai's betrayal, chalk it up to years of brainwashing . . . or should we just pretend it never happened?"

_In for a penny, in for a pound, _he thought as he turned to face Kakashi. "That's not what I said and you know it. We should give him a chance – watch him like a hawk naturally, but we oughta try and encourage whatever traces of humanity he still has left."

Kakashi sat quietly for a moment contemplating, assimilating the validity of what he'd heard.

Realizing mushy sentiment alone wouldn't be enough to sway his former captain Tenzou quickly tossed this in for good measure:

"Sai's a long range fighter with above average taijutsu skill for those close quarter situations. He has excellent chakra control, he thinks on his feet and he's rather intelligent too."

After too much silence, Kakashi said, "Transference . . . ever heard of it Tenzou?"

"Sir?"

"Transference . . . it's a common psychosis. You identify with Sai because of your shared experiences growing up in the Foundation – you know what it's like to be singled out and praised by Lord Danzou because of your unique skills . . . abilities.

"Well . . . I imagine that's true, but -"

"You empathize with him. That's why it's easier for you to forgive his actions because like you, he was programmed to suppress his emotions – can't have something like those things getting in the way of following one's orders, isn't that correct?"

Quiet now, Yamato bit down on the inside of his lip. Contradicting Kakashi was something he always disliked; however, he knew the man appreciated honesty, no matter how painful it was to hear.

"I won't deny our similar backgrounds, or the type of training we endured as members of the Foundation. But damn it, Kakashi, you're guilty of the same things you're trying to accuse me of doing." Making sure he was no longer on Kakashi's blind side, he slowly walked toward the foot end of the bed. "Sasuke was an intelligent, naturally gifted shinobi," he said. "You invested so much of your time and effort into his development to the detriment of the other members of Squad Seven-"

"And it blew up in my face, didn't it Tenzou?" The line of Kakashi's mask tensed as he ground his teeth together and he heard him say, "You would do well to learn from the stupid mistakes of your seniors."

When he came to a halt before him, Tenzou said, "Granted, but Sai doesn't have an axe to grind with anyone. The kid's a blank slate and I do mean that literally!" Standing at the foot of Kakashi's bed, he looked at him head on, saying, "He's proven that he's willing to learn new things, to think independently of the Foundation's teachings. Come on Kakashi, you made it possible for me to come to a point in life where I could turn my back on all that crap, and I turned out all right, didn't I?"

"You're not done yet are you? Go on; get it all out of your system Tenzou."

"Sai deserves the same opportunity you afforded me. Do you have any idea of how hard it had to be for him to ask Danzou for permission to transfer – especially after he'd failed his mission? For god's sakes! You narrowly escaped recruitment into that lifestyle yourself and you witnessed firsthand, my adjustment into regular shinobi life." With his hands gripping the bed rails, all the fight gone out of him, Tenzou bowed his head, saying quietly, "I just think we owe it to him to help him adjust."

The sound of another page turning was the only answer he got; looking up, he stared at Kakashi's eye scrolling down the page and that's when he feared he'd laid it on a bit too thick. _I've all but volunteered my assistance so how could Kakashi possibly refuse?_

"I see," Kakashi said at last. "You want me to take on a charity case… interesting."

"It's not charity," he mumbled under his breath. "Sai will be a valuable asset to the team somewhere down the line."

"Okay, okay, you can climb off your soapbox now," he said, lowering his arm into his lap. "Not like it matters what I think anyway since Lord Danzou and Lady Tsunade have already agreed on his transfer," was Kakashi's sullen response. "Wonderful, just what I need . . . more grey hair."

While he wasn't sure whether it was safe to laugh or not, Tenzou waited until he saw the corner of Kakashi's mask slide upward. "Thank god," he laughed, "I was running out of guilt trip material."

**SKY SKY SKY SKY**

Hours later, Naruto and Sakura barged into his room, both of them looking like snapping turtles with bellyaches, to bemoan their lot in life and wonder aloud whom they'd pissed off enough to have Sai permanently assigned to the team.

Naruto spoke first, which wasn't a surprise; finding out that he couldn't stand Sai initially, wasn't a surprise either.

_Ah well, Tenzou tried to kill me once and take my Sharingan, _he thought as they bitched and moaned._ Somehow we managed to become friends after that. Surely Sai and Naruto can work things out amongst themselves._

"He was and still is, a stuck up bastard," Naruto sulkily told him . "Sickly looking moron thinks he's better than everybody else."

For a moment, it felt good to blithely ignore them as they ranted and raved, stammered and stuttered in the background. "And a pleasant good afternoon to you as well Naruto," he cheerfully said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, whatever. Hey, I don't wanna bad mouth him too much, I'll leave that to Sakura, but Sai does have one redeeming quality, Naruto said glumly when flopped down at the foot end of Kakashi's bed.

"He can draw really fast." Suddenly, the tow haired boy's eyes gleamed. "It's kinda cool how he can draw snakes and use them as ropes, or draw a lot of little mice and make them do reconnaissance; so I guess he might serve a purpose after all." Huffily folding his arms over his chest he added, "But I swear Kakashi-sensei, that's all Sai's got going for him."

As Naruto pointed out, Sakura wasn't a fan of Sai's cold and aloof demeanor either, nor of his blunt and often misogynistic observations. She didn't hesitate to complain about Sai's vulgar language, and his arrogant behavior which grated on her nerves. Despite that, she seemed willing to give Sai a chance to acclimate himself to the team's dynamic. The slight blush sneaking up her cheeks, the way she lowered her head at the mention of Sai's name, told Kakashi that her decision to accept him was somewhat skewed. He had a sinking feeling she saw Sai as another readily available punching bag, but more than that, Sai represented someone she could mold into the image of a 'perfect' Sasuke, one who would never desert her . . . one who would never wound her as deeply as the original had done.

_One of these days,_ he thought, _I've got to_ _sit down and have a long talk with her about choosing her men wisely. _

As he allowed them to vent their frustrations, underneath their protests to the contrary, he clearly identified the point at which their hearts softened toward their new teammate.

Sakura blamed the years of training which led Sai to clamp down all human emotions. "He's supposed to live his life as tool whose only purpose is to savagely crush Konoha's enemies. That's so wrong and so sad, Kakashi-sensei," she sniffed. "Even though he says he's reformed, I'm not sure we should trust him." Twirling a stray strand of pink hair around her finger, she looked away and said, "I mean, what exactly are we to do if he flips back to that way of thinking in the middle of a mission . . . again? Would we be expected to . . . kill him?"

Naruto's worried eyes darted between Sakura and Kakashi. "He gives me the creeps too, but I don't wanna hafta kill him. You're not gonna make us kill him are you Kakashi-sensei?"

Closing his eyes and rubbing his fingers across his brow. "Nobody's going to kill anybody . . . unless it's absolutely necessary."

"That's a bummer," Naruto said, grinding his fist into the mattress. "You know something else that's weird about him Kakashi-sensei? He claims not to have an attachment to anything or anybody, but he holds a small, hand drawn picture book like it's his girlfriend or something; said it belonged to his older brother."

"No, he said it was supposed to be a 'gift' for his older brother, but he died before he got finished with it." Sakura said. "Don't you remember?"

"Yeah . . . yeah, that's right. I used to think I had a messed up childhood, but geez, his was far worse than mine." Leaning forward with his palms on his knees, Naruto went on to say, "He and his brother, they were members of that Foundation thing. They trained together, ran missions together all their lives." His voice began to trail off and the light in his big blue eyes, dimmed slightly. "When it came time for them to graduate, Danzou led him and his brother out to the forest and said only one of 'em would be promoted after a fight to the death. What kind of people would do that Kakashi-sensei? That's really screwed up."

Kakashi nodded, raising his book a bit higher to conceal a sneer. _Yes, it was a despicable way to test the commitment of Konoha's youth, to see how far they would go to carry out a directive – but that was the way of the Foundation. The sacrifice of countless young lives was how they culled the strong from the weak, how they weeded out the ones who dared feel anything._

"After they sparred for a while," Naruto continued, "Sai said his brother forfeited their fight -"

"What kind of a monster is he?" Sakura gasped. "He killed his own brother?"

Naruto's chin dipped to his chest. "Not exactly, Sai said his brother was real sick . . . would have died in less than a week anyway. His brother wanted to make it look like Sai won so he could have a chance to live."

Empty platitudes of sympathy found no place to land as sudden, weighty silence descended on the occupants of the room.

"That picture book," Naruto finally said, "the one he always carries around wasn't finished – and hadn't been for years, until he told me that story. Said he blocked out the memories of that time in his life. Then, all of a sudden after he told me, it came back to him, and right there on the spot he drew a picture of two smiling boys holding hands because they'd defeated all their enemies." He threw his head back and laughed. What a crappy ending for a book of pictures, but Sai's weird like that."

"Now we're stuck with him," Sakura chimed in. "Don't worry Kakashi-sensei; we'll make the best of it . . . I hope."

Shielding his mouth with his hand, Naruto scooted closer to where Kakashi sat and said, "Sai has another problem. He's a big pervert, worse than you are . . . I mean, different from you. I think he's a little confused, "he said, stealing glances at Sakura before he continued. "Sai peeks at guys and he's always talking about, you know . . . penises and balls - well, mine anyways."

Kakashi knew Naruto would turn four shades of green if he said what he was thinking, but what the hell; he needed a good laugh.

"Maybe that's his idea of male bonding Naruto, sorta like a verbal handshake."

Naruto's cheeks puffed out, and yes, he did turn quite green around the gills. Covering his mouth and clutching at his stomach, he ran from the room. Judging from the shrieks of horror from the nurses down the hall, Naruto didn't make to a restroom in time.

**SKY SKY SKY SKY**

The first time Kakashi laid eyes on this kid from the Foundation, he was still in the hospital . . . he only wished he'd been juiced up on painkillers or at least, had a pair of sunglasses available.

From what he could see of him, Sai was about eighteen years old, pale as unadorned rice paper with jet black hair, and ebony eyes that revealed absolutely nothing. There was such an awkwardness that seemed to engulf him, a sadness that was both tangible and pitiful. Less than twenty words passed between him and Sai that day; there was nothing remarkable about him, nothing that pinged against Kakashi's senses as means of warning him of something dangerous.

**SKY SKY SKY SKY**

The next time Kakashi saw Sai was after his release from the hospital, at the northern training grounds as Naruto struggled to develop a unique and hopefully indefensible ninjutsu. Sai made it a habit to show up every day, never tried to mask his chakra as he considered those assembled his comrades; he'd pass the time sitting quietly under the shade of an elm tree, and when he wasn't reading a book, he'd sketch Naruto while he trained.

With each new day, Sai crossed the invisible line he'd drawn for himself, inching closer, yet never breaching the perimeter surrounding Kakashi, Yamato and Naruto. Never a word was spoken either in greeting or as he prepared to depart for the day.

Kakashi didn't let on that he'd seen him, and never turned to question his presence at the training grounds.

In many ways, he could relate to the socially discomforted young man.

Kakashi had done a bang up job of shutting himself away from the world after the death of his father, going out of his way to alienate all who sought to comfort him. He lived for upholding the rules, and for the successful completion of a mission; he yearned to spill an enemy's blood with the razor sharp edge of his katana, to feel their life force splatter against his mask and soak into his clothing. Back then, he was slowly turning into a monster and he didn't give a damn about that. His comrades feared what they saw as his increasing mental instability; some whispered behind his back that he had a death wish and perhaps that was true.

Others called him 'Cold-blooded Kakashi' to his face; it was a nickname he wore like a badge of honor.

Years of living that kind of life was tearing him up inside, though he didn't realize it, couldn't see the symptoms of his slow and steady demise. It wasn't until someone had the balls to snatch him away from the darkness that he really learned the meaning of life. The only difference between the person he was then and the person Sai is at present is that Kakashi had emotions to begin with; something he could fall back on to an extent. It must have been easier for Sai, to suffocate something that never had a chance to live in the first place.

Every day, Kakashi sensed that Sai was trying to pull himself out of the darkness. Like a butterfly struggling to emerge from its chrysalis, the effort to break free is what makes its wings strong. If he were to interfere in Sai's metamorphosis, that tiny spark of life and hope would forever be extinguished.

_Am I truly ready to stand at the mouth of that pit . . . to congratulate him once he claws his way out? Or am I trying to atone for the errors I made with Sasuke? If this kid turns into a shinobi loyal to the Hokage, willing to give his life to spare the lives of his teammates, will it absolve me of the remorse, expunge the guilt I've lived with all these years?_

He couldn't honestly answer those questions right now, for a part of him still didn't trust Sai . . . couldn't forgive him for the despicable things he'd done, even though he knew Sai was hard wired to follow the orders given him.

_I need time to figure out how to deal with this guy; to be able to speak him civilly._

**SKY SKY SKY SKY**

Less than a week after Naruto's training began, Team Kakashi, under Yamato's leadership was called away on another mission. Graves near the Fire Temple had been robbed, corpses stolen; the purpose of this desecration was still a mystery. Kakashi too found himself tasked with a separate mission - meeting with the Toad Sannin, Lord Jiraya to determine if the Akatsuki were involved, and if they were, to determine how close they were to the Leaf Village.

It would be another month before all the members of Team Kakashi stood on the training fields of home once again.

NOTE:

The line: "Like a snapping turtle with a bellyache," was shamelessly lifted from an episode of the Three Stooges. Thanks for the memories and the laughter guys.


	5. Chapter 5

"To sleep, perchance to dream-

ay, there's the rub."

William Shakespeare - Hamlet

It was that time of day he'd come to appreciate ... sitting here beside the window, the sun not having reached its midday crest - the perfumed breezes making music as they flutter the corners of his book. Since his confinement though, it was also the time of day which made him ill at ease. Thrice daily came the performance of a delicate balancing act, pitting years of training against the reawakened need to please. Instinct had his body strung like a hunter's bow … the entirety of his focus now concentrated on the door to his cell.

_They_ were coming for him…

the sounds of their crepe soled footfalls like signatures,

unique above all others as they marched down the corridor.

Soon they'd stand there, outside his cell, their flabby arms folded across droopy bosoms as they debated the arrangement of his interrogation or torture.

Instinct drew his left arm across his body, his fingers stretching forth, straining for the handle of his absent tanto - and as they always did, the stabbing pains shooting through his back stopped instinct cold; yet another reminder of his defenseless state.

Downcast eyes sweep back and settle on the book lying spine up in his lap - a training manual from his squad leader, a gift given on the second day of his imprisonment;

Social Intercourse: Volume One - Establishing Rapport.

"_Remember Sai," _ his captain said when he handed over the entire series, "_this isn't a Foundation infirmary or retraining center. These people aren't trying to slit your throat or poison you. They're healers ... __civilian _ _healers… noncombatants." _

A forced exhale banished the tension from his body and when he closed his eyes, his fingers tracing the book's spine, he could see his captain sitting there by the side of the bed, wearing the same, "_I want to strangle you, but I understand your confusion," _look he always seemed to have. He could hear the drumbeat of his captain's fingers against the edge of the chair's seat as he futzed about for the right words to say.

Finally he said, "_Lookit, the last thing you need in this place is a bad reputation. What if you thought of your stay here as an infiltration mission? All you have to do is adapt yourself, conform to their routine and gather information. Just give 'em that fake smile ... be quiet, polite and cooperative. Think you can do that for me?"_

For his captain's sake he was willing to try, since the concepts of routine and conformity usually held his instincts in check. It would require a great deal of effort however since so accustomed was he to the expressionless masks of the Foundation's medics, that the animated faces of his present caretakers still made him wary.

_Their smiles are as fake as mine, _he thought, _and perhaps, so are their intentions. Still, reports of my good behavior will make things easier for my captain. _

_Adaptation to routine … _that was the easy part. Three times a day, these same two _civilian_ nurses barged into his room, bearing trays laden with tasteless foods, their pockets filled with vials of medication, clinking against the empty cylinders intended to store portions of his blood. They always took turns, scribbling down his vital signs or noting his current mental state on their ever present clipboard.

Aware of what he had to do, he opened his eyes and rose slowly from his seat, knowing the nurses felt less threatened when he wasn't ambulatory.

Only a few minutes remained in which to crawl into bed where they expected him to be; soon they'd stand on the other side of the door... cackling and whispering. But in the ears of a trained shinobi, civilian whispers were anything but.

'A creepy psychopath' ... a 'lunatic', a 'difficult' patient - that's what they always called him - that's why they feared him.

Given his condition upon arrival - his mind warped by fever, his body wracked with pain, ninja medics would have understood what triggered his attack. It was a case of bad luck all around, as less experienced civilian medics staffed the emergency room that day. In retrospect, it was what his captain said - a 'teachable' moment. For the medics, they learned the folly behind attempting disarmament of a wounded shinobi and for Sai it was the day they would forever associate him with the image of a deranged dissembler.

Quietly slipping between starched sheets, he settled back into a brace of lumpy pillows, and as he smoothed the linens over his lap, once more he heard his captain's voice saying:

"_Try not to antagonize your nurses and whatever you do, don't startle them with your drawings. Understood?"_

No worries about that first bit, for all of his brushes, inks, and scrolls were turned into the hands of his captain after he was subdued in the emergency room. From that point onward, he was granted supervised periods of sketching and when his captain was present. As for the politely smiling, cooperative quietness bit which his captain insisted on ... well, that just made the nurses edgier.

Short, stubby nails clicked against the door's metal hand hold - a signal that rounds would soon begin. The mid morning injection of painkillers would render him unconscious, docile… less prone to attack when it came time for his physical exam. The nurses wisely left that chore to the Hokage, a ninja and medic herself, one capable of effortlessly countering any instinctual defensive moves on his part.

A contrived smile pulled at the corner of his lips when they entered - as usual, it was met with the same revulsion, the same matched scowls and the same unblinking fear in the nurse's' eyes as they rushed through their chores.

_Routine_ … no sooner than they left, the thick medication crawled through his veins, forcing his mind into neutral; soon, the same images running in an endless loop would present themselves – events of days, weeks and years past would recycle themselves as if having freshly occurred.

And as his drug induced dreams always did, the second his eyes closed, Sai felt himself hovering above one of the crowded rooms inside Konoha's orphanage. There, in a darkened corner sat a traumatized, dirty, dark haired little boy.

Thinking him either too afraid or too stubborn to speak, the civilian volunteers assumed he was suffering from shock as was everyone else in the aftermath of the Nine-Tails attack. With the rebuilding the village a priority, there was insufficient time or personnel to assess anything other than the boy's immediate and most basic needs. They smiled kindly at him, treated him equitably and quickly forgot about him.

Each day, the same as the last – he was fed and bathed and alongside the others, trotted out before potential adoptive families; none however wanted to take in the pale, scrawny child until one day when a dour old man shuffled into the orphanage.

Never before had the child seen an adult as helpless as that old man.

His head swathed in bandages, one arm bound to his chest in a sling … his other hand tightly gripped about the flat head of a walking stick - from the way the civilians regarded his presence, the child knew importance was attached to the man. Curiosity, not fear kept the child tucked away in the shadows; he watched quietly as the old man interviewed some of the other children.

"That one hiding in the corner over there," the mysterious man said to one of the attendants, "I'll take him too."

"But Danzou-sama, that child … he's so … so frail … of what use -"

"My dear woman, all lives have purpose," the wizened man replied as he walked through the assembled crowd. "What is his name?"

"We have no idea sir … he was found wandering in the rubble days after the Kyuubi – the only two words he's spoken since then were 'kachan' and 'tochan.' With all due respect, I must insist you consider another child."

"Nonsense, his body can be trained … his mind educated. Bring him to me."

Imitating what he'd seen the other adults do, the child bowed before the elderly man.

"My name is Shimura Danzou" he said". He huffed out a laugh when the child hoisted himself to a standing position using the lower half of walking stick. Soon the old man was on his knees, establishing eye contact with the little boy, waiting patiently as the child ran his fingers over the bandages covering his head.

"I have need of someone as fearless and observant as you. How would you like to be part of my family?"

Darkness descended once again -

the sensation of falling and the pain …

it all rushed back.

As the ochroid mist lifts this time, he sees a gigantic hairy spider advancing on his frightened teammate - he feels the membranes crunch under his tanto as it slips inside the arachnid's brain; his nostrils filling with a nauseatingly sweet odor as hot, slimy, green venom splatters against his face, into his mouth and all over his uniform.

Sakura's frantic screams echo inside the cave and rumble down inside his ears as his limp body hurtles toward an unyielding pillar of mud. Then came the ear shattering snap of bones … his bones, when he's slammed to the cave's floor. The iron taste of blood … his blood, fills his mouth and the acidic burn of disappointment scorches his gut.

Another mission failed.

He's falling into darkness again and the scene beneath him shifts as he spirals downward. From an earthen prison to a wide open space suffused with bright lights ... an ocean of white robed people surrounded him - their faces aglow with terror.

Suddenly, _that_ voice thunders over the noise and confusion in the room - it's timbre, firm and uncompromising keys into the part of his psyche which demands obedience above all else.

'_Lay down your weapon,'_ the voice said. '_Your mission's complete.'_

Slowly, the face attached to the voice swims into focus - the happuri, the spiky brown hair and eyes of darkest brown.

_That_ voice, softer now as the stern features of his captain slacken … the feeling of warm, strong fingers prizing a kunai from his clammy, clenched fist – it still tingles against his flesh.

'_It's alright, Sai … I'm here_,' the voice whispered. '_You're safe.'_

The sensation of floating ceases as his body comes to rest inside a room with white walls and warm breezes gently blowing from the window opposite of where he lay.

His captain's snorts of laughter fill the spotlessly clean room with a ticklish warmth much like the sun, which passes through his skin and heats his mending bones. _That _voice … daily keeps him abreast of current events, it patiently responds to the stream of his endless questions and gently corrects his misconceptions.

And as they always did when the medication started to wear off - his thoughts sort themselves out … whittling down to one point, one person,

Captain Yamato.

Calm, reasonable, easy to converse with or listen to - Captain Yamato had been most helpful, teaching him to adjust to life outside the Foundation.

Captain Yamato, commanding officer, interim squad leader ... _friend?_

When next he opens his eyes, the chair beside his bed is empty though he senses the presence of two other people - even though a cotton partition prevents him from seeing their faces, their chakra is familiar.

_Comfort,_ he thinks when he stirs; _perhaps that is the best word for Captain Yamato. He willingly compensates for or explains away my behavior when others take offence - his presence ... it feels as easy and natural as a paintbrush in my hands. The appreciation he has for my approach to people and situations … it's almost the same as the feeling of charcoal skimming over parchment._

A smile ... effortless, genuine and grateful skates over his lips and into a dip of the hard hospital mattress he sinks.

Ochroid: ocher, a pigment which ranges in color from pale yellow to orange and red.


	6. Chapter 6

He counted himself fortunate as it was almost that time of day that he enjoyed most - when the sun was at its peak, making its rays thump against his back as it kissed the nape of his neck and graciously warmed his tired muscles. After weeks of sluicing through stagnant gullies and tramping down muck filled lanes, all while eluding detection by blood thirsty Rain ninja, the noise of firm soil crunching beneath the sole of his boots was a particularly welcome sound.

Soon, he'd be inside the forests of home - the scent of fragrant loam and mosses hitching a ride on his clothing and lingering in the fabric of his mask, the gentle gurgle of runnels as they wound through the trees usually settled his nerves - what a shame they wouldn't have a chance to do it this time.

_They _were intently watching him - crouched in anticipation .. impatient for him to step into their snare.

_Not exactly the homecoming I expected, _he thought. _These guys are_ s_loppy … obviously tyros … almost as if they want me to know they're watching. _

Friend or foe … it was difficult to determine, for what the front guard lacked in subtlety, they made up for in intent.

_The ones backing them up however, are definitely heavy hitters._

Two things he knew of a certainty; there were far too many of them for him to tackle alone and this wasn't an army of shadow clones.

As he walked through the boscage, chary eyes bored into his back; from the sounds of their scouting signals which were familiar and predictable it meant these were _friendly_ forces - announcing his entry into each sector and monitoring his location by the book.

Thankfully, he knew these woods like the back of his hand and if his assessment proved incorrect, he'd have no shame about sprinting toward the nearest ANBU outpost for assistance.

The further he journeyed into the woods, the more visible they became; scores of poorly concealed ninja arrayed on the highest boughs of ancient trees - dozens more lurking behind or blending into dense shrubs. Purposely crushing a pine cone under foot, he heard at least twenty kunai holsters snap open - he sensed nervous hands hovering over their weapons, all of them itching for the chance to make him a pincushion.

_So much for my good fortune. Had I but known Academy instructors were running the pre-genin through surveillance exercises, I might have spent another night in that cave._

He was careful not to make any other sudden moves, nor veer from the established footpaths as he wended through the glades; but now as he stood overlooking the village, he let out a sigh of relief. He was home at last ...muddied, not bloodied; tired, yet nowhere near chakra exhaustion.

_Note to self ... have to mention this next time I see Iruka-sensei, 'cause if the kids back there are our future defenders,_ he mumbled under his breath, _may the gods have mercy on us all._

Just the thought of the pedantic chunnin flying into a rage was enough to make him laugh as gentle winds nudged him down the sloping hill toward the main gates.

He paid no mind to the rising steam from the lumber mills in the west, neither did he give a second thought to the overabundance of shinobi patrolling the village ramparts. Something in the air made him wrinkle his nose.

_Hmm … maybe I should hit the bathhouse before debriefing Lady Tsunade._

But once he passed through the web of checkpoints outside and inside the gates, it was the rancid smell of panic that slapped him in the face.

Fresh hewn timber, its fragrance drifting on the breezes welcomed him inside the village proper; the sound of thundering hooves as teams of oxen hauled lumber laden carts through the streets east of where he stood, the scent of fresh pitch bubbling in metal vats, the cacophony of hammers and axes and the sight of workmen scurrying about, led him to believe what he was witnessing was no ordinary infrastructure upgrade.

_Strange, it's almost as if the village is in the process of a complete rebuild._

A heightened sense of urgency, like a hostile shadow stood beside every shinobi he met, his questions deflected or blatantly ignored - comrades he'd known and worked with for years, tossed skeptical glances his way as he moved deeper inside the village. The civilians were equally affected; a pronounced sense of caution eclipsed their smiles and even the marketplace teeming with people seemed oddly quiet.

_What the hell is going on around here?_

Paranoia crawled up his back, whispering in his ear as his thoughts automatically turned to the whereabouts and safety of his team. Last he'd heard they were at the Fire Temple, but that was weeks ago. He took to the rooftops, hastening toward the Hokage Tower.

_I have to believe Tenzou will do or has done everything in his power to keep them safe._

The mission room at the top of the stairs and to his left, stood silent - inside the massive space only two chakra signatures were detected. A quick peek inside revealed the august Umino Iruka seated at his desk and a genin runner standing beside him.

_Perfect! Since nobody gave me a straight answer about what's going on, I know he will._

Never once was there an indication Iruka heard him enter the room even when he let the door slam behind him.

_Okay, that's weird … Iruka usually lifts his eyes or raises his hand in greeting, no matter how busy he is. This oughta get his attention._

To the lectern he strode where the massive brown ledger lay open - a moment spent scrawling his name and tense seconds wasted flipping through previous pages of the 'Available for Duty' roster netted nothing. Normally whenever shinobi lingered here or dared nose around inside the ledger, it would have garnered a not so polite clearing of the throat from Iruka. Hell, even the runner was ignoring him.

_Oh yeah,_ he thought. _Something is terribly wrong_.

For a while, only the sounds of the uninterrupted scratch of a ballpoint pen, punctuated by the occasional frustrated crumples of paper were the only sounds in the room. Finally, the swift feet of the runner skirted around him.

"Surprised you're here all by your lonesome, Iruka-sensei." he said, his attention seemingly still on the ledger. "Shouldn't you be in class this time of day?"

Another page turned on Iruka's side of the room. "Hmm? Oh …umm, welcome back, Kakashi-san. For the record, today is Saturday, I have no class … and yes, I do realize what I just said."

The roster abandoned for the moment, Kakashi sauntered over to where the chunnin sat. He leaned his hip against the desk and made himself comfy; normally, that too would have elicited a growl, but nary a word was spoken.

"Saturday … of course," Kakashi said, "that explains why it's so quiet in here."

Iruka promptly went back to ignoring him.

"Think you can tone down your enthusiasm over my safe return long enough to tell me what's going on in the village?"

The pen in Iruka's hand faintly shook. "The Akatsuki," he snarled. "Patrols spotted two of those bastards near our western border about three weeks ago."

_That explains the increased forest patrols, gate guards and the multitude of checkpoints, _he idly thought while rearranging the pens and pencils in the cup nearest his hip. As Iruka furiously scribbled, Kakashi lifted his headband for a second to get a better look at the chunnin.

_Yep,_ _his chakra's definitely disturbed - worried about Naruto no doubt … makes sense._

Iruka kept his head down, angrily transcribing notes from one folder to another, though when he spoke again, his voice was calm and even.

"The ANBU is backing up our shinobi assigned to security details; everybody else is stockpiling items for the evacuation centers, or helping repair the damages after the village was attacked by -"

"Akatsuki attacked us? When did this -?"

"Not them … another group of mercenaries … wanted to eliminate the Hokage … institute the Daimyo as supreme leader of the Land of Fire or some such nonsense." Another half-finished form crumpled under Iruka's fingers and bounced off the rim of the trash can beside his desk. "Bastards … unleashed an army of zombies on us," he said. Damn near burned the village to the ground."

"Undead armies … the Akatsuki… why is it that nothing exciting ever happens until I leave the village?" Holding up an unfinished paper clip chain for Iruka's inspection, he went on to say, "Don't tell me, Tsunade kept you chained to this desk during all the fun didn't she … that's why you're such a sourpuss right now, isn't it?"

"She didn't… I was assigned to a security team during the attack. The only reason I'm here today is because I volunteered," he said, sliding the pen cup away from the obviously bored jounin. "The job of coordinating the hospital's logistical concerns fell to Shizune so she's crazy busy getting sites for remote triage stations sorted out and supervising emergency drills with the medics and, oh, for heaven's sake," he said, snatching away the lengthy paper clip chain woven by nervous hands. "Do you mind?"

"Well I wasn't finished with it… but go on," came the impish reply from the grinning masked man.

"I'm one of the few chunnin available with a . . . _give me that please_," he said reaching for the hand stamp Kakashi was currently toying with. "I'm authorized to receive and secure classified mission reports … like the one you should have with you," he said extending his hand.

Kakashi grinned, staring down into the outstretched palm near his elbow. Having arranged the writing implements and paperclips Iruka hadn't snatched away into bawdy stick figures, he smiled and said, "You know … next to my favorite novels, nothing gives me as much pleasure as watching you clench your jaw - like you're doing right now."

Iruka gave him the side eye while he relaxed his jaw. "Your report, Kakashi-san … please."

"You know, I'd almost forgotten how much I like it when you spit and hiss at me." Capturing the tips of Iruka's fingers, he chuckled and said, "Let's not be so hasty."

Unfazed, Iruka slid his fingers from the crushing grip. "As usual, Kakashi-san, I'm appalled and puzzled by the things you find entertaining, but I have no time for your foolishness -"

"Don't sell yourself short, you know I don't amuse myself with just anyone Iruka," he said standing to his feet. "You should be honored. Seriously though, I need to deliver this information to the Hokage -"

"Fine, just hand over your report and -"

"Sorry, but I must insist on debriefing Lady Tsunade face-to-face. As for this written report," he told him, patting one of the pockets of his flak vest, "it's intended for her eyes only."

Unfazed, Iruka reached for another folder. "Lots of luck tracking her down then. Ever since this mess with the Akatsuki started, her days are consumed in meetings with Ibiki and the Council and running back and forth to the hospital. When she isn't doing that," he frowned, briskly filling out another blank form, "she shuts herself off somewhere to read through the stacks of hourly dispatches from neighboring villages."

Kakashi bent down, slowly reaching out both of his hands to cover the file before Iruka. "I'm willing to bet you know exactly where I can find her. After all, you have access to highly classified information like that. Or should I assume you'd like me to hang around here and keep you company until she pops back into her office?"

"Give me a break Kakashi-san," he said, slowly prying those slender fingers from away from the folder. "Of course I know where she is, but like me, she's trying to get some work done. Might I suggest you stop by the bathhouse first as the Hokage should be back in her office in about ninety minutes … come back then."

"I have a better idea," he said, ratcheting the pen from Iruka's hand. "You tell me where I can find the Hokage right now and I'll let you get back to your 'happy place,' you know, the stamping and sorting of papers."

Iruka reached for another pen, ignoring him.

"Not only will you get me out of your hair, I might even consider erasing the lewd sketch that I left of you in the duty roster over there."

Iruka's eyes followed the gloved hand that had crept back onto the folder, up the mud spattered sleeve, to the face partially concealed by a spotless blue mask and then beyond to the clock over the front door.

"Try the hospital, third floor nurse's station," he said, removing Kakashi's hand and straightening the edges of the crumpled pages. "It's time for rounds … she and the head nurses are probably sitting around a fresh pot of coffee, going over patient status reports."

Feigning disappointment, Kakashi rose slowly.

"That wasn't that difficult now was it? My goodness, Iruka-sensei, whatever happened to prompt, courteous customer service?"

"The demise of prompt, courteous customers," was the snide remark Iruka directed toward his now disarrayed desk. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Kakashi was halfway to the exit, chuckling to himself when Iruka called out:

"One more thing, Kakashi-san."

He turned to see the chunnin snappishly reordering his workspace.

"Should you accidentally 'forget' to erase that drawing, please know that I _will_ hunt you down and curb stomp you."

"Why Iruka-sensei, such violence - you're a man after my own heart, but I think you really should brush up on your flirting skills."

Though he ducked in time to avoid the flying cup, he couldn't escape the shards of ceramic and the shower of pens that rained down just to the right of where he stood seconds earlier.

_That's more like it,_ he thought as he slammed the door behind him.

NOTES:

Tyro: a beginner in learning anything; a novice.

Boscage: a mass of trees or shrubs; a wood, grove or thicket.

Chary: cautious or careful; wary.

August: venerable, eminent.

Pedantic: overly concerned with minute details or formalisms.


End file.
